The present embodiments relate to a grate for a cooking appliance that is hinged to the structure of the cooking appliance and particularly, but not limited to, a hinged cooking grate for a gas range.
Various cooking grates have been proposed in the art for cooking appliances. Often, in the case of a gas range, the cooking appliance includes a cooktop surface. The cooktop surface typically includes one or more cooking areas disposed about the cooktop surface, and in the case of a gas range, each cooking area typically includes at least one gas burner extending through at least one gas burner opening in the cooktop surface. The cooking areas generally have associated with the gas burners one or more grates disposed above the gas burner and which provide a generally planar and generally horizontal surface for providing support for cooking vessels (such as pots and pans). Each grate generally has one or more feet that rests on the cooktop surface and space the grate a desired distance above the cooktop surface and gas burner. Typically each grate is freestanding, that is, not connected to the cooktop surface.
Often, during use, the cooktop surface gets dirty with spills from the cooking vessels. These spills sometimes soil not only the cooktop surface, but also the grates. The individual freestanding grates can be removed from the appliance for cleaning (as in a sink or a dishwasher), and the cooktop surface can be more easily cleaned with the grates having been removed.
Several disadvantages are associated with such an arrangement. First, the grates tend to be heavy and/or awkward to move, so removing them in order to clean the cooktop surface can be cumbersome. Also, removing the grates requires having a place to set the grates temporarily while the cooktop is being cleaned, and space is often not available. Even if the space is available for temporarily placing the grates, because the grates are usually heavy metal items, they can scratch or damage the surfaces (such as adjacent countertops) on which they are placed. Additionally, replacing the grates back on the cooktops can cause damage to the cooktops if the grates are mishandled or misaligned in any way.
Some attempts to resolve these problems have included providing grates that are hinged to the cooktop itself. However, several problems exist with regard to hinging grates to the cooktop. First, connecting the grates to the cooktop requires that the cooktop be made strong enough to handle the multiple heavy metal grates. Structurally this requires that the cooktop be thick and rigid, and have edges that are strengthened to accommodate the hinges. This in turn dramatically increases the cost and manufacturing complexity to fabricate the cooktop. Second, because typical cooktops span the entirety of the upper surface of the range, typical hinged grates span nearly the entirety of the upper cooking surface, thus adding to their size and therefore their weight. It is not uncommon for each grate to weight 10-15 pounds. Third, if grates that are hinged to the cooktop happen to fall harshly onto the cooktop causing damage to the cooktop surface, the only repair solution is to replace the cooktop, which is costly, time-consuming, and labor-intensive.
Thus, there is a need to provide grates for a gas cooking range that are hinged to the structure of the range and not connected to the cooktop itself. This would enable the cooktops to be fabricated less expensively. Enabling grates and cooktops to be separate items not connected to each other provides additional options for grate sizing and design that are not possible with grates that are hinged to the cooktop.